#1 -- THE Best Song of 2008

Mansard Roof by Vampire Weekend


In the words of the immortal Hawk Harrelson, "sit back, relax, strap it down" 'cus this one is gonna be long.

Hope: I see a Mansard Roof through the trees
When historians finally get around to writing about 2008, there will be a bunch of things to focus on... and who knows what event will end up being the most important. It might be Obama. It might be the events on Wall Street. It could be something else that slipped through the cracks and the awareness of most journalists. We won't know for a while.

But as I sit here on the last day of 2008, it is hope that shall forever be my memory of this year. Sure Obama and his peeps capitalized on this shit from the very beginning. But the hope went beyond Obama, and then came back to him. See for some of us, 2008 meant one thing... Bush and Cheney were gonna be gone. And there are few sentences that have ever been uttered and reached my ears that have sounded more beautiful. If you want to know why... go here.

Hope... as Andy wrote to Red, "Hope is a good thing—maybe the bet thing, and no good thing ever dies." I know there is 25% of the country that disagrees with me, but this country, this world, we had lost hope. And say what you will about Obama, and no matter what happens over the next four to eight years, the fact is he gave so many of us hope.

At the same time, what annoyed me about the entire Obama 'movement'—it's about us, but it's not.

Obama gives hope to the black man, the African-American professional female. To the Cuban and the Cambodian. To the Kenyan and the slumdog. To the hipster and the square, the mechanic and the millionaire. It's hope. To the 99% of the world that's never made it and never will make it, one of them really has. To the poorest of the poor, the tired, the poor, the huddled masses who yearn to breath free... for them? There is Obama. Barack Obama. Hope.

This song gives you hope from the very start, the organ, the drums, seeing that mansard roof trough the trees, the tops of buildings... these are all good things... all hopeful things. And when you hear this song? It sounds wonderful.

Change: I see a salty message written in the eves
So if Obama was all about hope for the world's poor and minorities... then why did so many white people get behind him?

We live in an ironic age. I don't know what this means, in fact, no one really no one knows what this means, but it just seems to be a fact of life that everyone under the age of 30 accepts. So while the rise of Obama is a shocker (a black man as President, wtf?), how he got to where he is should not.

What everyone overlooked and forgot about the past 12 months is that it was whites who put Obama in the race, it was whites that delivered Iowa, and it was whites who funded his campaign from the beginning. Everyone forgets this, but blacks weren't sold on Obama at first. It wasn't until Bill Clinton opened his mouth on January 24 that the entire Presidential race changed. It was at this point that the black community finally fully supported Obama and in the end that ended up being the race.

But it was the white supporters that were there form the begining. Sure not every white person was or is behind Obama, but they were on board before many blacks. This is of course, ironic (though John Roberts would not be able to tell me why because race doesn't exist in America).

So why did white support Obama? It's simple: CHANGE. He wasn't Bush, he wasn't Clinton, he wasn't an old white dude. He was different. He looked different, he said things in a way that sounded different, the words were fresh and brand new. Obama admitted things that no politician in America would ever say—Omar from The Wire was his favorite character for crying out loud! Not someone on CSI or Friends, OMAR!!! the greatest TV character ever—and to those of us in this ironic age this was refreshing. It wasn't forced and it was hard to turn what Obama said into cynical fodder. He was real. He was different, and he was gonna replace George W. Bush.

'Okay, Fair Blog Writer,' you say, 'what does this have to do with Vampire Weekend?' Simple, the band and this album was like nothing most of us had ever heard. 'What about Graceland and all those other Afro-rock bands?' Ahhh, sure Vampire Weekend isn't reinventing rock'n'roll; but rock'n'roll doesn't need to be reinvented. Just as democracy and the United States don't need to be reinvented, rock'n'roll just needed something different, something fresh—and it got it in Vampire Weekend. They sounded clean and fresh, they dropped lyrics that upper middle class white college kids were familiar with (Lil' Jon, the Oxford comma, Washington Heights, Louis Vutton, Benetton, Cape Cod...). They were real, yet different, and it's hard to be cynical about them... unless your a hipster, but of course then that's just irony being ironic. Got it? Good.

Bailout: The Argentines collapse in defeat
My favorite line in the song. Why? Because the Argentines are good at two things and bad at two things.
The Two Things Argentines are good at:
1) Beef
2) Soccer

The Two Things Argentines are bad at:
1) Military victories
2) Capitalism

So naturally the Argentines collapse in defeat... along with much of the capitalistic world. This mess didn't start in 2008 (you could argue that this started in the early 1970s), but it came to ahead this year. The world as we knew it almost ceased to exist. And who knows, maybe by 2010 it will cease to exist. But today? The world of capitalism that we live in is still here no matter what they're saying in Lower Manhattan. We came close to collapse but between bailouts and—maybe—luck it looks like the world will survive for another few decades.

'Okay fine, my fair blogger, you've made a ton of connections from the lyrics of this song to the most important events of 2008, but why is this the #1 song?'

That's easy. It's awesome. It's got a great beat. The hook is killer. The rift, the strings, the crisp Afro-pop guitar, the keyboard, the drums... it is all so wonderful. So pleasant. So hopeful. Different from everything else out there today even if it isn't brand new. It's just good. The first song of the first major album of 2008, it set the tone—knowingly or not—of bailouts, change, and hope.

And hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things and no good thing ever dies.

#2 -- Best Songs of 2008

American Boy by Estelle (featuring Kanye West)

American Boy (Feat. Kanye West...

Ahh, we finally reach the point where I think we have the songs that will go down as the best of the decade...

This starts with some of the best production you'll ever hear drawing you with these just cool and smooth—and I'm not even sure what it is... but you're hooked before the song even really gets started. Then Kanye starts up and whatever beat is being laid down is pretty slick. Enter Estelle singing the chorus in that flirty voice she's got... and it is OV-AR.

This might be the best constructed song of the year and Estelle never let's you forget that she's the star of this—not the great production, not the addictive beat, not Kanye amazing performance just over half in, and not those interesting 'what instrument is that' parts that kick in between every verse and chorus. Estelle steals the show during every chorus (and the bridge) where her voice is so gosh darn flirty, you can hear the smile every time she sings "American Boy". Every time she sings it, you want to take her to Brooklyn, L.A. Chicago, and San Fran.

I don't want to over shadow Kanye's performance and Will.i.am's work, but somehow, someway, Estelle steals the show. But Kanye is great and the sounds and music going on behind her voice are great. But it's Estelle's easy, playful vocals that put this song over the top. In a year where nearly everything that happened had a hint of playfulness, no matter how bad the news was, this song sums up that fun, flirty side of 2008.

#3 -- Best Songs of 2008

Viva La Vida by Coldplay

I could write about Coldplay for a long, long time... and I have like when I attempted to figure out if Coldplay was the most obviously unobvious band of all time. I'm never sure what to do with them. Take this song. The string arrangement is sweet. The vocals are nice, the song is well constructed and builds to something. It sounds good. You want to hear it again. The lyrics are oddly charming and give great imagery. The song sort of pumps you up. It's a great song right?

But it is so obvious. I feel lame for even putting it on the list... because it's so obvious. Everyone knows this song is good, but it's by Coldplay so intellectually there is some problem with the song. But I can't downgrade the song just because Coldplay does it. It's like this song should be better almost...

And then there is the issue that they stole the rift from Joe Satriani. But here's the thing—Coldplay does it so much better. And even though musically they don't take any chances, they make better music because they're really good musicians. Think about how great a Coldplay best of album is after only four records? Who wouldn't buy that CD?

#3a -- Life in Technicolor ii by Coldplay

Going back to the obviously unobvious idea... the frustrating thing about Coldplay is that Viva La Vida is a really good, but unadventurous song when compared to the opener off of their underwhelming album, "Life in Technicolor". But LiT doesn't do enough to warrant a place in the top 25...

And then came the release of the Prospekt's March EP. And even though the lyrics don't add anything imo, it puts "Life in Technicolor" over the top. THIS is an adventurous and beautiful song. And this is what Coldplay should be doing (along with, arguably, Lovers in Japan).

These two songs sum up the frustrating thing about Coldplay: they are better musicians and can do things better than most other musicans (ala Viva La Vida) but it isn't all that adventitious even though it sounds really good. BUT then they do something adventurous and different and it's better than nearly everything else out there.

Coldplay is stuck in some weird spiral... I won't say they're as talent as say, Radiohead, or even U2, but it's not like they're all that far behind at the same time. But unlike both bands Coldplay ALWAYS plays it safe. They could write an album of "Shiver" and "Life in Technicolor"... but they play it safe... it's like they're scared to try and fulfill their potential. They're like the anti-indie band in many ways. Which is a bummer... I'd love to see Coldplay go though a strech like U2 did in the 90s.

Finally... why is this Life in Technicolor and not Life in Technicolour?

#4 -- Best Songs of 2008

Queen of Everything by Haley Bonar

Queen of Everything - Haley Bo...

It's the voice. The guitar, the drums... they're nice. But it's the voice and how she sings this song. You can hear the sorrow in her voice. "Rock'n'roll... will tear you from the inside fuck with your spine, take you to the same place I lost my mind" she sings. Why? "Then they hear what I want, and I'm the Queen of Everything." And I love that part... it sounds so good.

Culture and art never explore the REAL heartbreak of females. Movies are usually about the tortured male who will go to the end of the Earth to get back to Penny. Or if it's told from the female point of view, it's something along the lines of, "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife" and the women that line up for Prince Charming... see the female always NEEDS the man. Even in the 'ground breaking' "Sex in the City" the moral of the show is that those four women CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT A MAN (even though we're supposed to believe that they can). Movies are simplistic and chauvinist—women needs man and cannot live without him. Women are there for the men. It's tired and boring and totally false. But Hollywood has somehow convinced us that this is real... even though it isn't. It isn't for guys and it isn't for girls.

But Haley is doing something else with this heartbreak... she broke up with her man (a good man no less), and instead of sitting there feeding into this chauvinist world, she goes somewhere else: I'm the Queen of Everything. She's basically saying, "I'm not demanding, but everyone wants to make me out to be that demanding. But the reality? You, my man, want everything." She blows up this Hollywood/fairy tale world we want to believe in—but not in the 'fuck Hollywood' kind of way. Rather in the 'this is how I feel and the way I see it' kind of way.

This song is refreshing for two reasons:
1) The backlash against feminism is in full force only no one really will say that... but think about it for a minute or two. In an election between a black man and a woman, we heard little to no racial talk... but it was totally acceptable to call Clinton or Palin pretty much any name you wanted without any consequences. Young white males (children of the Boomers) have somehow made it cool and politically correct to reject and suppress feminism. And misogyny is still prevalent in black art.

2) The irony pours out of this song yet irony was seemingly forgotten by those who champion it as a lifestyle this year (hipsters supporting Obama was NOT ironic and frankly I'm disappointed in them). There was nothing IRONIC about 2008. This might not be a bad thing since we went a tad over board with the whole irony movement/era thanks mainly to George W. Bush. But this song gets back to what irony really is, it's unfortunate and not that funny when it happens to you.

#5 -- Best Songs of 2008

Don't Forget Sister by Low vs. Diamond

I downloaded a bunch of classical music the other day and while I was listening to it, I was amazed at how similar each song was. Not in the notes being played or the instruments being used but rather how each and every song builds to something. How the different movements usually lead to some big blow out that sounds really cool.

And if it wasn't for rock'n'roll and the indie explosion of the last few years, this would never have clicked for me. For years I've heard all about different movements in classical music, but I never knew what this meant. But thanks to crappy indie bands and songs it all came together for me.

It's quite simple really, these crappy songs don't go anywhere, nothing happens. There is no build up, just a lame dude singing crappy lyrics. And after four minutes the song ends. On the flip side, your classical pop song is the same: verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus, maybe a coda [end] (or something like that).

Now the real great rock songs build up into something. They may follow this simple formula, but they go somewhere... and then at the end there is so much going on that the hooks and rifts all cascade into one beautiful sound. Classical music doesn't follow that verse, chorus structure... but the great classical songs build up and up and up and then explode (maybe most famously in the 1812 Overture). But so many rock/indie songs today don't do that. They don't build and they don't go anywhere.

But this song? It builds and it goes somewhere and by the end of the song it sounds wonderful. The passion in the singers voice combined with all the rifts, hooks, and background vocals exploding create just some wonderful music that is hard to turn off. A great song.

So sister... take me away with youuuuuuu!

#6 -- Best Songs of 2008

Whatever You Like by T.I.


Sometimes the best songs are the tunes that lack any sort of intellectualism and are so literal that it can't be taken seriously. What are Stacks on deck? Who drinks Patron on ice? And we live in a world where lyrics like "Late night sex so wet you're so tight" are followed up with lines like "I'll gas up the jet for you tonight". Yet we don't have some politician's wife attempting to ban hip-hop. So if T.I. actually means anything it's that we are progressing culturally and socially even as we regressed politically. (And if we wanted to ban T.I. it would be because he followed up a line about having sex with taking a jet... I mean really T.I.? That's the best you could do?)

Look the song is catchy as hell, it's more fun than Fleet Foxes, and it proves that U.S. culture is more liberal than our politics.

(Editors note: I hope I'm not forcing that last point.)

But then again, we can vote however we'd like:

#7 -- Best Songs of 2008

GfC by Albert Hammond, Jr.

This song is all about the great rift that opens the song and never really goes away. The rift is melancholy and tired—something someone started picking out at 4 in the morning after a long night of drinks and maybe even heartbreak. It's beautiful.

But at the same time, this song sounds like an old rock song with those bruising attacking guitars. But we're always taken back to that late night 'what happened tonight?' rift.

How does this fit into 2008? I'm not sure. And maybe that's okay, maybe I should just let this song be. Close my eyes and let that rift take me away. It's been a long few years, and this song captures that better than most songs. Not in what it is saying, but rather in how it sounds. And that's why it sounds so good. There is no political statement, no anti-Bush message; it's how Hammond plays his guitar. The notes he plays sum up the last few years better than almost everyone else.

#8 -- Best Songs of 2008

Love Dog by TV on the Radio

Is this song sad? Or is it just tired? Or is it some how hopeful? Or maybe it's all of this in one.

With what happened in October and then finally in early November, this albums got a lot of press from music critics saying that it was "hopeful" and some how represented the end of the Bush Era. But this song doesn't have that feel. This song, while full of wonderful sounds that mix and swirl, reaching out and attempting to touch the clouds in the sky, isn't what I'd call hopeful.

The album is filled with sort of hopeful sounding songs that sound great (check out "Shout Me Out" or "Golden Age"). But every time I listen to this album, I'm brought back to "Love Dog". Lonely, lost, and crying out—also howling "Hallelujah". And as the song nears its end, things seem to open up, to clear up, and the fog that had been preventing our lonely little love dog from finding itself lifts as the strings seem to announce a new day. But it's a cautionary tale and sound. And I think we all need to be mindful of that as we head into 2009. Sure things are looking up for the first time since 2000... but let's be cautious and look before we leap.

#9 -- Best Songs of 2008

Dance, Dance, Dance by Lykke Li

Every time I make a year end list like this, there is one song that starts at about #22 and ends up in the top ten... this year's winner is... Dance, Dance, Dance

This song has it all. That methodical, hard working beat which doesn't allow us to dance to this song on our own—rather you have to find a partner and it becomes a slow dance in the process. Hands on hips, flirty looks in each others eyes... dance, dance, dance...

Li's voice is shy, like the lyrics in the song which features one of those great lines that are easy to over look:
My hips they lie 'cause in reality I'm shy, shy, shy
In other words—Suck it, Shakira.

You never hear great dance songs that are so shy, so unsure of oneself... but when you think about it, most of us can't dance. Most of use don't dance unless we're at a wedding, where our self-consciousness is thrown out the window. Why we don't think like this at the club, I don't know, but it be what it be. Anyway, what's amazing in all this is that most of the time it's easier to dance than it is to talk... cus most of us are better dancers than talkers (and yes, this is an indictment on society). Dance, dance, dance...

And I liked what Pitchfork had to say about this song, so I leave with that:

Suggesting something can be so much more effective than coming right out and saying it. On this Youth Novels single Lykke Li uses movement to overcome her shyness and compensate for inability to explain herself. "Having trouble telling how I feel," she sings, "But I can dance, dance, dance." The song's music is equally understated and demure: a sliding bassline on an acoustic guitar, some mumbling sax, eventually a few backing voices to fill in the spaces. It builds, but only a little, and even at its peak it's a long way from abandon. For a while this year I kept hoping that "Dance, Dance, Dance" would get a massive remix, something that gave the hypnotic repetition and Li's purring coo the surging beat they deserved. But eventually I realized that the low-key production is a virtue. Your mind fills in everything that's not there, which further reinforces the song's focus on subtle communication: "When I'm shaking my hips, look for the swing/ The words are written in the air." --Mark Richardson

#10 -- Best Songs of 2008

Bassment Party by The Cool Kids

What a great name for a band/group.

The easy thing to do would be to compare the Cool Kids to Obama, seeing that both are products of the South Side. Both have huge white, upper-middle class followings, the kids love them, especially the cool kids, and even blacks have started to get down with them. But their careers are totally different... I find it hard to believe that right now some 12 year old, black male is thinking about becoming the Cool Kids one day. Sure maybe by the time they're 19 or 22 and they've been north of Madison Ave, you might even find them doing something in some club in Wicker Park on a Friday night... but at 12? Nah, no way.

See, the Cool Kids are hipster rap. I don't care what Pitchfork says... they are. They appeal to white audiences for a bunch of reasons: The beat isn't too fast or too intense (something that seems to scare off white people after college), their lyrics are accessible, they sound and look retro.

Now does this take away from the fact that they sound pretty awesome? No. They lay down a nice little beat, rap with the speed of Ma$e and are completely and totally accessible to anyone over the age of 24. These guys are rapping about a party. And everyone loves parties. Even white males over the age of 40. And if you flipped this on, those Squares might even attempt to bob their head a bit... provided their boss isn't there.

#11 -- Best Songs of 2008

Sequestered In Memphis by the Hold Steady

Yeah sure I'll tell my story again.
In bar light. She looked alright.
In daylight? She looked desperate.

And it was over. I mean, as if Craig Finn ever need a little prodding to start telling a story. But hey, that's what he's here for, so...

What the Hell, I'll tell my story again.
In bar light. She looked alright.
In daylight? She looked desperate.

Jeff Tweedy writes lines that I'd kill to write, but Craig Finn is coming in a closer and closer second.

We all know this girl... and we all know the two guys in this situation: one of the guys will smile, and say, 'hey that's your problem darling'. The other will take full advantage of that desperation. The Hold Steady let our imagination run wild in these situations -- what does one do? Who does one end up with?

Personally, I miss Holly and the happenings at Penetration Park... but hey I'll take a rock anthem any day of the week. If life was a movie, we would all chant this song when it came on at a bar. "Subpoenaed in Texas, sequestered in Memphis!"

And I'd pay about a thousand bucks to listen to Bruce cover Hold Steady songs. That my friends, would be awesome.

Finally, in a year where indie band continued to suck, why can't they be more like the Hold Steady and other bands that don't try to reinvent the wheel? The Hold Steady know they're going to write amazing lyrics and tell great stories in their songs, so who cares what the music sounds like as long as it matches the mood of the words? The Hold Steady don't do anything Earth-shattering musicially, just nice riffs and a decent hook once in a while. And they sound great...

So what's wrong with music as the '00s end? Why have the bands moved away from the early decade simplicity of the Strokes, White Stripes, Hives, Hold Steady, even Belle & Sebastian and the Shins and so on and so on?

#12 -- Best Songs of 2008

Bruises by Chairlift

The iPod has changed music more than anyone will give it credit... I think you have to go back to the turn table or radio to find a device that has revolutionized music as much. The iPod allows us to create our own sound track to life, to completely detach ourselves from society, and live in our own world playing whatever song we want, where ever we want and whenever we want. I'm not sure this is a good thing, but it's changed how we listen to music. The iPod has further killed the album and made the playlist the 21st century mixtape... but only to one's own life.

And Apple has really good commercials featuring really attractive songs.

This song is no different. A nice beat, kick ass hook, the lead vocalist voice is pretty, the song sounds big and airy, expanding beyond Earth and space and everything...

It's funny, but what sort of ruins this song is the male vocalist towards the end. Why change up a good thing about a silly love song? Who doesn't love the "For yooouuuuuuuuooooo... so black and bluuuuuuueeee... for yooouuuuuuuuoooooo"?

After seeing a commercials like this, who doesn't want an iPod?

#13 -- Best Songs of 2008

See Fernando by Jenny Lewis

See Fernando - Jenny Lewis

or

There's is nothing quite like a song that comes out throwing haymakers. Usually only metal and punk bands (and Radiohead more that you'd think) use a technique like this because it's so hard to do... where do you go from there when you come out blasting, nearly out of control, attempting to knock out the listener? If you don't bring them in, the song will fail.

But Jenny Lewis and company does just that here... sure it takes a few measures before that guitar really starts going nuts with help from the drums, but she comes out punching. And it is wonderful.

In this some-how-underrated album Lewis might be at her best (how anything can be underrated in 2008 is beyond me, then again Jermaine Dye is still underrated). It's tough picking out just one song, but this song which sounds like a borderline country-punk anthem, puts Jenny and her friends at their best. They seem to be having fun, not trying to hard, just hanging out and playing some music. "Hey guys, let's turn up the amps on this one..." and this is what we got.

And the song brings energy, and who doesn't love energy? (besides hipsters when they're hanging out around unhipsters of course). If 2008 differed from previous years in any way, it was that there was more energy this year. Things might not be looking up, but people were a little more excited about life, because when things do turn... it's gonna be great. Wanna have a good time? Wanna bottle up that energy and let it all out... well go see Fernando.

And who doesn't want to see Fernando? He buying the fucking beer.

#14 -- Best Songs of 2008

Fools by The Dodo's


According to everything I read about the Dodo's I wouldn't like them. But I heard this song on the Tripwire's podcast a few months ago and fell for it in the "I don't really like her but man she knows how to move her hips" kind of way.

The song doesn't come at you, rather it's there, but the drum beat is so damn intriguing that you're pulled in by it all. A cross between a fast moving locomotive and a horse, the beat never lets up even when the song is peppered with random guitar bursts and weird background vocals that seem to be more shouting than anything else.

But I come back to those drums every time I hear this song. "Fools" sounds much bigger than it actually is. And in 2008, this is a good thing. We believe that things are going to change, it won't be a 'meet the new boss, same as the old boss' situation. Rather, this is a year where we collectively decided as a country, as a society, that we wanted to be naive and to check or cynicism at the door. We wanted choose to believe, we decided that things were going to be different, even if they barely will be.

Does this song sum up 2008? Far from it, but it's the little song that could. It keeps chugging along with that enchanting beat, and solid guitar sounding like something that is much more complex than it really is. And let's face it, politically at least, 2008 was sort of like that.

#15 -- Best Songs of 2008

Nowheres Nigh by Parts & Labor

This song just sounds cool. I don't care what the band is singing about, I just like hearing them sound so friggin' awesome.

This was a year where image was more important that what was actually being said. There was a lot of hot air. This happens every time the U.S. holds an election for President, but this year seemed filled with more hot air than usual.

So what was the 'point' of 2008?

Why to be cool of course. To sound cool. To do the same thing but do it a little differently and call it change. And what's great about this song is that it starts off sounding like something you've heard before, only a little different. It brings energy and the amazing thing is that it manages to build on itself, to become even bigger than the listener ever thought possible.

By the end of the song, these guys are blowing you away because they took the song to a level that you didn't think was possible (it's like the anti-Dr. Dog song).

And in a year where society and the economy was taken to a level never thought possible (good or bad) this song oddly fits. It's bigger and brasher that anyone ever thought.

#16 -- Best Songs of 2008

Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? by She & Him

Playful like a Saturday afternoon in early June, flirting like a Friday night at 9:08p.m. at a friend of a friend's party, three drinks in, and finally having caught her eye...

That's what this song is. It's fun. It's unpretentious. And it flirts with you from beginning to end.

The rift is simple, the words straight forward, there are some extra things going on in the background, even backup vocals just to make you think, for a half second, that you are in one of those films where the main characters are the center of the universe in the "even the supporting characters stop what they're doing and break into song at the exact perfect moment" kind of way. [NOTE: Is there a 99% or a 100% chance that Zack Braff loves this song? And the narrator of this song is a Manic Pixie Dream Girl correct?]

But this song doesn't age well. Back during the summer this was a sure top 10, even top five song. But now, as the white of winter has laid down for a rest across the Midwest, I don't nearly get the same excitement out of this song. Instead when I hear this song I long for an afternoon reading a book at the Point.

Which isn't a bad thing, but at the same time, if I'm going to give Fleet Foxes shit, then I have to be consistent.

#17 -- Best Songs of the Year

The Rabbit, the Bat, & the Reindeer by Dr. Dog

I love the opening bars of this song... so much so that this song ultimately disappoints me. Every time that I think this song will blow me away, it gets a little boring. When the bridge kicks in and I get excited... only for the song to switch back to the main hook and it loses me again. The song drags on—it's thirty seconds too long.

This song has potential, but it wastes it. There is something missing, there is a direction that the song should go but it does not for some reason or other. Thus this song sounds more incomplete than anything else.

Unfair? Maybe. But most songs don't have potential, or at least they don't waste their potential. What's frustrating is that you love a certain point or part of a song with potential, so you can't fully 'break up' with the song since you want to hear that one part. You keep coming back for more even though it leaves you disappointed.

But I'm being harsh. This is a good song, it goes a lot of places and does a lot of interesting things. Many songs can't say this. And again, those opening notes of the song are killer.

#18 -- Best Songs of 2008

Hands in the Air by Girl Talk

I love mash ups. I'm sure most mash ups suck big time, but I don't follow the mash up scene outside of what is popular in that indie sort of way AND whatever is being sampled by hip-hop artists these days. The idea of mash ups is perfect... instead of having to listen to some band TRY to sound like Wilco or Pavement or Jay-Z (I'm looking at you Pitchfork Band of the Week (PBW)), mash up artists (and hip-hop producers) say "Fuck it, let's just use what's actually good."

Is taking what's good and copying it/steal it supposed to be a bad thing? No. People are so obsessed with being "original" and "keeping it real" (welcome to White Suburbia!) that this miss a simple point: EVERYTHING IS STOLEN FROM SOMEONE ELSE. I think I realized this at like 20 years of age when my buddy who was an English major informed me that there are only seven stories/plot have ever been written, the only thing that changes are the names, location and time.

So note to D.J's and indie musicians everywhere in the world: don't bother being original because you'll be original by not being original AND people will like you.

(This is when you ask, Mr. Blogger Otter, do you like techno? I say no. You say 'why? It's sort of like mash ups', and I say, no it's not because the point of all techno music is to copy that same sound you heard in your freshman dorm where the room on your left two people were having sex and the room to your right was some rich white kid blasting 50 Cent).

So the song... okay we start with "Whoop! (There it is)", eventually we get some "Love Fool" remix, some Velvet Underground... but this song goes to the next level when he throws down the end of "Wanna Be Starting Something" into "Dance to the Music".

It's hard to pick just one song off this album because it's so much fun to listen to (and get five people and a few beers/gin and tonics and this album goes to a whole other level). But I can't get over the "Sunday Morning" sampling to go along with the Michael Jackson and Sly and the Family work he does near the end.

I think the video above broke every copyright law ever. Congrats!

Finally, I just have to say this but I got suckered into buying body lotion for men today at Target because it's winter in Chicago and I need something to keep my skin from flaking off... but damn this stuff makes me smell like a man. Women do not buy this.

#19 -- Best Songs of 2008

I Love You and Buddha Too by Mason Jennings

Simple, almost stupid (is that too harsh), this song is. But you know what, there is something so cute, so happy, so pleasant, so nice... that I can't help but enjoy it. Nothing about this song is all that insightful or intellectual, in fact Mason's struggle with faith at this point is sort of annoying since it's the same question, "Jesus, I love you, but where are you and what about all these other characters?"

You can also listen here.

But the beat, the back ground vocals, the Lennon/McCartney like ditty rises above all else in this song; and because it sounds like it was fun preforming this song makes it fun to listen to. And in an age where music isn't nearly as much fun as it used to be, I appreciate what Mason is doing here. I like how he seems to be having fun, the straight forward lyrics, and the attempt to make us all think about religion and love.

#20 -- Best Songs of 2008

The '59 Sound by the Gaslight Anthem

This was a good, but weird year in music. Like a sports draft of any sort, this year in music was very tier based. And right now we're still in a weaker tier... but by the end of this we're going to get to some kick ass songs.

This isn't to slam the Gaslight Anthem. These guys aren't bad. Since they're form Jersey I have to mention that they sort of sound like Bruce and they have a rougher edge to them. But is there anything about this song that makes anyone shout out and go, "hell yeah!"? It's got a nice intro and the hook isn't bad. But shouldn't I have just put another Vampire Weekend or even a Coldplay song on this list twice over these guys? But rules are rules (I only do one song per band), and sadly I think this is another song that will be forgotten in two or three years time, like The Cold War Kids or Band of Horses.

#21 -- Best Songs of 2008

A Few Words in Defense of Our Country by Randy Newman

The write up here is easy, I'll copy and paste the best parts in a second... but quickly—this song is genius. As the Bush Era comes to a close, Newman's fantastic attempt to defend us Americans by comparing U.S. to the worst leaders the world has ever seen. Newman and the song hits its fever pitch when he correct points out that under Bush we were supposed to be fearful of being afraid. And it doesn't get more unAmerican than that does it?

I’d like to say a few words
In defense of our country
Whose people aren’t bad nor are they mean
Now the leaders we have
While they’re the worst that we’ve had
Are hardly the worst this poor world has seen...

A President once said,
"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself"
Now it seems like we’re supposed to be afraid
It’s patriotic in fact and color coded
And what are we supposed to be afraid of?
Why, of being afraid
That’s what terror means, doesn’t it?
That’s what it used to mean...

The end of an empire is messy at best
And this empire is ending
Like all the rest
Like the Spanish Armada adrift on the sea
We’re adrift in the land of the brave
And the home of the free

Goodbye. Goodbye. Goodbye.

#22 -- Best Songs of 2008

RoboCop by Kanye West

First things first, I don't care if Kanye used AutoTune or whatever.

Now that's out of the way, why RoboCop over nearly everything else on this album? For me? The stings. I'm a sucker for strings and this song has 'em. And I love how the song wraps up with Kanye singing "L.A. girl... you need to stop it now... you're first good one in a while" as only the strings play.

Yeah, yeah, this is a heartfelt album and Kanye pours out his heart and all that good (or sad) stuff... and I know Kanye went though a lot breaking up with his girl and his mother passing away... but it's interesting that as the U.S. attempts to move past Bush and onto the more optimistic Obama, things are looking up (even if they're looking down). And here is Kanye feeling down.

The genius of Kanye is that he puts songs together so damn well—some may even say perfectly. This song is a fantastic example of how he can construct a song better than nearly anyone else out there. All the sounds, the lyrics, the strings, the beat... it all works. And it sounds so good.

#23 -- Best Songs of 2008

White Winter Hymnal by Fleet Foxes

For some reason when ever I hear this song, I think of Michigan. Not the eastern, down on its luck, out of options half; rather the western, lake effect snow, and dune lined beaches half. Western Michigan is beautiful, a forgotten part of America known only to a few in the Midwest.

This song is beautiful. There's no other way to describe it. It sounds rustic, older than it really is; yet the song isn't dated like so many bands that attempt to sound retro (see the Darkness or Wolfmother). But I guess I'm missing the point because Fleet Foxes aren't trying to be retro. They're just writing really pretty songs.

And oh yeah, Sufjan Stevens would kill to write a song this simple and beautiful.

So you're reading this saying, "Hey you like Sufjan and you think this song is pretty and good, so why is it coming in at #23?"

Well here in lines the problem with most indie music of the last five to ten years. It has no back bone. There isn't enough "eff you". There isn't enough of a beat, a let's forget life and dance our hearts out. And so sure, you get a ton of pretty songs like this... but they all end up being forgettable a year or two later.

And I fully expect to never listen to Fleet Foxes by the time Twenty-Ten comes around.

#24 -- Best Songs of 2008

Breakadawn by Rhymefest

Ugh. I sort of hate having any of Rhymefest's album/free download of Michael Jackson remixes on this list. It's a solid effort and the album is interesting at times. But upon listening it to again over the last few weeks nothing jumps out and moves me.

The idea behind the album/mix tape is pretty good: take Michael Jackson, a great song writer/performer in his own right, and give him a 21st century twist. But it's a better idea than it is actual music, most of the songs leave you wanting to hear Michael himself and few give the songs a new identity or complexity—like what Danger Mouse pulled off with Jay-Z and the Beatles.

For what it's worth, this might be the most interesting and unique song on the mix tape. And thus, it clocks in at #24.

#25 -- Best Songs of 2008

Dónde está la Playa by The Walkmen

Daunting, almost haunting, is the best way to describe this song. But then the song will swing, giving us a hint of optimism, only to shift back to the dauntlessness of it all. It's a powerful song, with cagey guitars and a rolling drum beat.

In a way, it's weird to kick off a best of list with a song like this, but it also makes sense. 2008 was an odd year—the pessimist and the optimist were both right and had a lot to live for—and this song is that balance. The pessimistic opening changes over the course of the song revealing a closing that is strangely optimistic—if only because what we know at the end sounds a lot better than what we heard at the beginning.

Best Songs of 2008

Coming soon (like in the new day or two) a run down of the best songs of 2008. Stay tuned!

Somebody Changed

Somebody Changed by The Clientele


Seriously... what is this? I know I called Beach House indie soft rock yesterday, but I forgot about these guys. These guys are like a crappy Beach Boys combined with shitty Wilco and your favorite Eagles song. In fact if you like the Clientele then you probably also like the Eagles, and you know what? The Eagles fucking suck. And as a music fan, I don't think there is a worse insult that can be given. Sort of like calling an intellectual ignorant or a frat boy gay... no greater insult can be thrown around. So you know what? If you like the Clientele, you like the Eagles, and therefore your taste in music blows. Sorry. You can like the Doobie Brothers and have good taste. You can enjoy Kiss and have good musical points. But you cannot like the Eagles and have good musical taste. It's impossible.

Apple Orchard

Editor notes: This week INDIE BANDS THAT SUCK YET EVERYONE TELLS ME THEY ARE AWESOME, ONLY THEY AREN'T AND NO ONE WILL SAY IT.

Apple Orchard by Beach House


If you enjoy music that doesn't go anywhere, that's slow, that whines, that is outright boring... then Beach House is the band for you. These guys suck. They're one of the worst bands I've ever heard, yet people seem to love them.

Why?

They sound like half the shitty bands out there that play five notes over three minutes with an organ. But things move so slowly and never builds to anything... it's like listening to really really bad Bread.

Beach House is what I'll call soft rock indie—only more boring than your usual soft rock crap. And therefore thanks to the "I'm going to fall asleep" organ, lack of any beat/rhythm/bass, and rejection of hooks and rifts, Beach House is an indie band that sucks.

Us Ones In Between

Editor notes: This week INDIE BANDS THAT SUCK YET EVERYONE TELLS ME THEY ARE AWESOME, ONLY THEY AREN'T AND NO ONE WILL SAY IT.

Us Ones In Between by Sunset Rubdown

I don't know where to begin. I tried to like this band. I listened to "Shut Up I'm Dreaming" about 20 times during the summer of 2007 at work.

But this is what I concluded from the album: It Sucked. The band tries to sound big, it tries to do interesting things, it tries to play well. But they fail. Big time. Songs take far to long to develop and they rarely go any where. Take this song as a great example. The rift isn't interesting or good. The lead singer sounds like shit. There is a completely unnecessary and annoying triangle which is for some reason really really really loud. And the song never builds... or... goes... any... where... and thus it's one of the most boring songs I've heard in a while. It's bad. It's down right ugly.

It's just quasi-psychedelic noise. The lead singer sounds like he's been shot in the liver and both legs, but he's kind of happy about it. And therefore, Sunset Rubdown is an indie/hipster band that fucking sucks. I don't care what anyone says. They blow.

But here's what's weird... I really like Wolf Parade. However this doesn't excuse the shit that is Sunset Rubdown.

Insistor

Editor notes: This week INDIE BANDS THAT SUCK YET EVERYONE TELLS ME THEY ARE AWESOME, ONLY THEY AREN'T AND NO ONE WILL SAY IT.

Insistor by Tapes 'n Tapes

First of all, what the fuck is insistor? Wikipedia doesn't come up with anything. This leaves me confused. And since I don't know what it is the fact that the band is using it is lame. This is the best song on the album though.

Second, I'm supposed to like this band because they sound like the Pixies (they don't) and Pavement (they don't). Not buying it. Sorry. These guys fall into the "Bands that don't do a good job ripping off a good band" category. They should let Pavement keep doing whatever the fuck the guys from Pavement are doing.

Third, is there any sort of rhythm to this band? I don't feel like moving or singing along or doing anything when I hear the songs off of "The Loon". Do any of their songs go any where? Let me answer that: No.

Fourth, I'm sorry, but "The Loon" sounds like a bunch of songs written by 10th graders and preformed by a bad college band. Nothing about the song structure or the sound is redeemable. Whoever the front man is sounds like he's whining half the time and would someone please tell me why there is so much unnecessary noise in these songs? Please? Because it's fucking annoying.

Fifth, this was the album that made me loose faith in Pitchfork as any sort of guide to new music. That's not to say that Pitchfork sucks, it just means that I couldn't use them as a guide to buy new music without actually listening to the band first. This was totally my fault. And Pitchfork does have important things to say, I can't stress that enough. But when it came to judging music I enjoy and music they enjoy... well our relationship was over.

Finally, Tapes 'n Tapes is one of those annoying indie bands whose sound is unoriginal, I think you have to do designer rich white boy drugs to enjoy them, and they can't write a fucking song. But since they can sort of play an instrument and we don't know what the fuck they're talking about, every hipster liked them for a few months in 2005. A fucking shame because Tapes 'n Tapes suck.

Maybe I'm Amazed

Maybe I'm Amazed by Paul McCartney


On the "most overrated songs of all time" list, I think this song has to be considered. It's boring, it goes no where, they lyrics aren't terribly interesting... yet the song gets radio play and seems to be known by most people. Probably because it's by Paul McCartney.

But I can't stand Paul. He's a wanker who charges way too much money for his concerts, and his music after he left the Beatles was average at best. And he's an arrogant sob:

'It will help reaffirm McCartney's claim to have been the most musically adventurous of all the Beatles,' said Wilson this weekend. 'He told me he would love to release the track. All he needs now is the blessing of Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono and George Harrison's widow Olivia.'

Oh really Paul McCartney was the most musically adventurous? Really? Since when? Since he's the only one alive? Because Lennon did more interesting and risky songs when the Beatles were together and George Harrison was an amazing musician and had his own unique sound that is so often overlooked by critics (imo). Why is it that all Paul McCartney songs sound like the greatest ditty ever written? Why don't they sound like mind blowing, 'I've never heard anything like this before' ala Radiohead?

Because Paul McCartney didn't write musically adventurous songs. He wrote "We Can Work It Out", "I Will", "I've Just Seen a Face", and "Can't By Me Love." Those are all great songs. But they aren't adventurous.

And neither is "Maybe I'm Amazed."

Slow Show

Slow Show by The National

I really like these guys. Last year's album was really good with a lot of quality songs.

This song falls into the haunting yet beautiful category. Songs like this a perfect for the winter or a desolate urban area, where things look a bit haunting or daunting yet there is a beauty about it all. And with today being the first day of winter (it's cold, gray, and flurries float by every once in a while) this song fits for today.

I love the bridge (or outro) at the end of the song, it's beautiful and feels so real. I love songs that make me feel.

A Change Is Gonna Come

A Change Is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke

A Change Is Gonna Come - Sam C...

I submit this without comment today. Sam's voice says it best.

At Last

At Last by Etta James

The day the World Series Champion is crowded is always a bittersweet day for me. You can't help but feel a little relieved that the seven month day-in-and-day out up-and-down emotional roller coaster is finally over. But at the same time you know within a week, come the Tuesday morning, you're going to miss it all. You're going to miss seeing who went yard. You're going to miss being able to curse out—under your breath of course—the bullpen son-of-a-bitch that cost your team (The White Sox in my case) the game last night. You're going to miss checking to see how St. Carlos' stats were affected by the game the night before—or if he did something magical the night before, you gush over it every few hours and it puts you in a better mood.

See when you follow a baseball team every day for an entire six or seven month period, it's like being in love. You know the ins and outs of the team. You know what guys and in what situations those guys are going to disappoint you. And when someone surprises you, a big smile comes across your face, because when that big hit comes when your not expecting it... it's like walking in the door and your lover saying, "you want to watch a Borne movie tonight?"

A baseball team, when you really follow them, is like loving a woman with a broken nose. It's better than all other love that sports can provide because it's such a personal experience, it ain't perfect, but it's a great time. See when you follow a team over 162 games most of those nights are spent with just you and the team. Just like every lover is—in the end—an intimate relationship between you and your love that no one else can understand.

Three years ago the White Sox won the World Series. It's not the greatest night of my life, but it's one of the two or three greatest. When they won it felt so wonderful, the joy that over came me was unbelievable. It's weird to say this, epically in an intellectual manner because it is after all just a team... but to me... they are a love. A true love. And it felt good.

That night, as I was in alone in D.C. getting drunk on champagne, I must have listened to this song twenty times. It was wonderful. I was up until well past 4a.m. listening to Etta James sing about her true love.

And it was wonderful because my first love—the White Sox—and I had finally made it.

Jelly Man Kelly

Jelly Man Kelly by James Taylor



There is something so great about James Taylor, yet at the same time something so lame about him. No other artist walks the fine line between lameness and greatness. (HYPERBOLE)

But this song? This song is great if only for the kids going nuts. Here's James singing a silly but kind of pretty song and then all of a sudden we have six kids of every race and creed screaming "OH JELLY COME HOME JELLY CAN HE COME?" You can't even hear James Taylor once the kinds start chiming in. FANTASTIC. And as a child I loved this song. It was so much fun.

Childhood was awesome.

I Need You

I Need You by The Beatles


A few weeks ago I was eating at Potbelly, and the guy playing at the time broke this song out... I had forgotten how absolutely fantastic it is.

And then after a little digging, I found out it's for or about Pattie Boyd. Pattie Boyd must have been one hell of a woman and muse. Why?

Well, Harrison wrote "I Need You" and "Something" for Pattie Boyd. Eric Clapton wrote "Wonderful Tonight" and "Layla" for her. THOSE ARE LIKE FOUR OF THE GREATEST SONGS EVER!!!! AND THEY ARE ALL ABOUT THE SAME PERSON!!!!

Come on people! This is amazing! Why don't we talk about Pattie Boyd on a daily basis? Why isn't she more well known? Seriously... we had men writing some amazing songs about her. It was like the Trojan War. And yet all I can find is photo exhibition on her.

If Joe DiMaggio is the Father of Pop Culture, the George Harrison is Menelaus, Eric Clapton is Paris, and Pattie Boyd is the Helen of pop culture.

Theme from the Greatest American Hero

Theme from the Greatest American Hero by Joey Scarbury

I was criticized on Friday night getting drinks with friends that this fine little blog was a tad bit too negative... so with that in light, I went out and found a happy song.

I don't remember "The Greatest American Hero" but like pretty much everyone in the world I know the theme. And it's one of those songs that puts me in a good mood. Bad day at work? How about a little Joey Scarbury? Thoughts of the New Man or childhood dreams that have passed away? "Believe it or not I'm walking on air! I never thought I could feel so free!"

Ah yes, one of those songs that can turn a bad day into a not so bad day.

And going as the Greatest American Hero for Halloween wouldn't be the worst idea in the world. See, I'm good for something.


P.S. it's safe to say this will be Jeoy Scarbury's one and only entry to this fine little blog.

Wolf Like Me

Wolf Like Me by TV on the Radio



Next year, when we look at the best songs of the first decade of the 21st century, this song will make most top 50 lists... and I've got a feeling it might even be #1 on a few lists (don't you get the feeling that Pitchfork sort of wishes it made in #1 in 2006?). This is a fantastic song—a driving, hard drum beat, daunting and interesting guitars, and vocals that drive home the hardness of the song. Then they slow it down during the bridge... only to pick it up again and in the background a somewhat haunting "the how and... forever... ho ho ho..." is repeated as the song closes.

It's one of those songs that I think every musician and band wishes it could write.

Lemon Grove Avenue

Lemon Grove Avenue by Mason Jennings

You can find and listen to it here.

A perfect summer time song. Lemon Grove Avenue is one of those songs that whenever I listen to it, I wish this is what life was like—there are birds in the trees, stars at night, a summer breeze, and you're living life with the one you love and you don't have to be anywhere in particular. Life is happy, it's worryless, it is carefree. In movies or while we're toiling away at work this is what we want—we want to live on Lemon Grove Avenue—a carefree life where mmm-bop-la-de-da-de-da is playing faintly from someones porch as you walk down the street, hand-in-hand, with the one you love.

It's not a sophisticated song, and honestly in the dead of a Chicago winter it's the last song you want to hear... but if I feel like getting away from reality and pretending, just for a few minutes, about a life I'll never live... we'll I might just turn this song on.

Your Love

Your Love by the Outfield


I had never really noticed this song until I was living in London and over the course of four months it sort of became one of the two or three official songs of my time there.

There were eight of us living in two flats on the northern edge of central London. We worked four days a week at Westminster—not only were we living together, we were also working together. The eight of us couldn't get away from each other. And since we were working, staying out until 1 or 2 in the morning was really an option most nights. There were nights when we'd all sit around and watch the BBC or even pop in a DVD.

And this is how I remember this song... it was a chilling in the flat song. I'm sure we only listened to it on a Friday or Saturday night when 'Bama wanted to get a little pumped to go out. And as that opening rift started up I too would get a little excited about what was ahead of us that night.

What's funny is that D has always said that the Strokes "Someday" reminds him of London because I listened to it all the time... but Someday doesn't bring up memories of London for me... it's the Outfield and "Your Love" because 'Bama listened to it all the time.

This is a pretty great song I might add (sorry about the video but it was the best I could do).

Fake Palindromes

Fake Palindromes by Andrew Bird


I love this song. Love this song. Love Love Love Love this song. From the intro with the winding violin and the distant vocal nearly screaming "Ohhhhhh ohhhh oh", to the steady verse that builds and builds, back to that winding violin, then the beat and Bird's vocals build to this when it all comes crashing together:
And she says I like long walks and sci-fi movies
If you're six foot tall and east coast bred
Some lonely night we can get together
And I'm gonna tie your wrists with leather
And drill a tiny hole into your head

According to Last FM, over the last two and half years I've listened to this song more than any other song. Something like 200 times, though it's probably higher. And I never ever get sick of it. From the image of my dewy-eyed Disney bride, to the thoughts of formaldehyde and fratricide... and then that woman. Who is this woman? And why haven't I met her? Why does she sound so interesting, so perfect, so troublesome—like someone you sholdn't be involved with but can't help it because you want to know where she got that bruise? I'd love it if she said to me that she liked long walks and sci-fi movies. I'd quickly tell her that I am six feet tall and while from the Midwest, I've done my time out east. And hopefully we'd go back and she'd drill that tiny hole in my head.

Crazy Love

Crazy Love by Van Morrison



One of the all time great love songs... just a fantastic song. We're all looking for this person, and I wonder how often it is that we find this person. The older I get, the more I start to believe that people end up with someone they are comfortable with, someone they are compatible with, someone they like. The perfect person—someone who has a fine sense of humor, who takes away trouble and grief—who stirs the passion in our hearts and souls; it seems like people don't look for this person. They just want someone who they get along with when the time is right.

I don't think I'm being cynical here, from my point of view as a 27 year old male in 21st century America, I'm being honest and realistic. People too often only want to fall in love when they want to fall in love. Sure that sounds obvious, but at the same time it's the way it works. The person who puts his/her career before all else won't have a meaningful and real relationship until one puts the relationship first. Too often "love" is what happens when we THINK it should happen.

Immaturity and mistakes get in the way in our journey to find love... these missteps, I feel, are just part of the process. As we grow and as we stay true to ourselves and keep our sexual drives at bay (to a certain extent), we'll end up with the person that is perfect for us. Who stirs passion in our soul and makes every day even better than the one before.

My senior year of high school we were talking about our favorite songs. My teacher for that class, A, wrote down that this was her favorite song on the chalk board. I remember going to the board (it was just that type of class and I was just that type of student) and finishing it by writing "Vol. II". I never knew this song existed... I always thought the only one that existed was Paul Simon's equally fantastic "Crazy Love, Vol. II." 'A' went to the board and quietly erased my ignorance.

Daniel

Daniel by Elton John


I can't really tell you why I like Elton John so much other than he's really good. And that's a pretty darn good reason isn't it? I also like the glasses he wore in the '70s. I'm not sure a musician dressed more perfectly for the kind of music he/she played than Elton John in the '70s.

But here's my question... where the hell is the current Elton John or Billy Joel (though if I was Billy Joel, I'd drink myself under the table every night in Manhattan too if I was always thrown in the same sentence as Elton John, but that's another day)...

ANYWAYS, where was I? Oh yes, the current singer/piano player pop star... where is he? I would very much like to have one in my life. And Ben Folds does not count because he's Ben Folds. The Fray is a band and they only have that one song. Anyway if anyone has any good piano playing pop starts that I should check out, hit up the comments section.

As for this song... for reasons I can't explain to you this reminds me of a German I knew about a year ago who worked at Su Casa (a Catholic Worker house in Back of the Yards). Daniel is now long gone, I'm 99.9% sure I'll never see, hear, or talk to him again; but I'll always remember him because of this song.

Music and the mind are weird. But everyone knows that.

So Says I

So Says I by The Shins


I love the Gilmore Girls. It's probably my second favorite show ever. I own DVDs. I watch these DVDs. The Gilmore Girls puts me in a good mood.

About a month ago I was watching an episode from Season Three—and I said to myself, I'm going to dress like Luke this winter. I am going to wear flannel shirt and a winter vest and sometimes a backwards baseball hat. This is going to be my winter gear and it's going to be great.

I mentioned this to some friends a few days after this thought. And they broke the news to me: flannel was in again, hipsters were starting to wear it. Wanna be hipsters were wearing it. People who like Sunset Rubdown where wearing it.

Read that again—people who like fucking Sunset Rubdown are wearing flannel! Sunset Rubdown is one of those indie bands that suck but everyone pretends they're good! They're the worst kind of people! They can't wear flannel! I can't stop using exclamation points!

So my winter is ruined before winter has even begun. Sigh.

As for this song... well in one of the most random Gilmore Girl episodes, Rory and Paris go to somewhere warm during spring break and at the bar they're at The Shins are playing "So Says I".

Effing hipsters and their flannel. I bet their reasoning wasn't as awesome as mine.